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‘Cats football reaches top dog status

For those who haven’t been watching, the Weber State football program has gradually solidified itself as one of the top FCS programs in the country.

Weber State football player Dontay Wright Jr. makes a touchdown despite the pushback from the Aggies. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)
Weber State football player Daniel Wright Jr. makes a touchdown despite the pushback from the Aggies. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)

Ranked third in the country, the Wildcats clinched their fourth-straight Big Sky conference championship and will appear in the FCS football playoff for the fifth straight year. Weber is currently 5–0 in a shortened spring season due to the pandemic.

The ‘Cats are the second school to win four consecutive conference titles in the history of the Big Sky conference.

Helmet bumps between two Weber State University football players represent the excitement of the whole team (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)
Helmet bumps between two Weber State University football players represent the excitement of the whole team. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)

Historically, the Wildcats have struggled to maintain consistent winning-ways on the field, with an all time record of 273–280–3. A big key for the recent bout of success, though, has been the hiring of Jay Hill as head coach.

Hill was an assistant coach at the University of Utah before being hired as the head coach of the Wildcats in 2014. Though things didn’t take off right away, Hill has led Weber to a 52–29 record in his seven seasons at the helm, with 10 of those 29 losses coming in the first season.

Player 23, Wright Jr., celebrating his touchdown on Saturday at Weber State University. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)
Daniel Wright Jr., 23, celebrates his touchdown at Weber State University. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)

This spring season, Hill and the Wildcats are looking to build upon last season’s appearance in the FCS playoff semifinals where they lost 30–14 to James Madison University, which is currently slotted as the No. 1-ranked team in the country.

Hill, a former cornerback in his playing days at Utah, has instilled a reputation at Weber for strong, hard-nosed defense. With Weber State boasting the Big Sky’s top-rated scoring defense and a league-leading eight interceptions through five games, that reputation has continued on this spring.

WSU football coach Jay Hill walking back to the sidelines after a team huddle on the field at Stewart Stadium. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)
WSU football coach Jay Hill walks back to the sidelines after a team huddle on the field at Stewart Stadium. (Paige McKinnon/The Signpost)

The offense is quarterbacked by true freshman Bronson Barron, and the backfield trio of Josh Davis, Dontae McMillan and Daniel Wright Jr. lead the conference’s second ranked rushing attack.

This year’s FCS playoff matchups were determined on April 18, and the playoff games will begin on Saturday, April 24.

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